THE CHALLENGE

Air Rite’s Filter Division manufactures and distributes HVAC air filters of all sizes, including specialized, made-to-order filters primarily for industrial and commercial clients. To manufacture custom sized air filters, the company had been using a manual process to convert frame stock for the outside framing of their filters. The tedious and labor-intensive process was largely manual and required a great deal of set-up time for each new order. In addition, few employees knew how to properly set-up the dies for size changes.

As a niche business providing one-stop shopping for its customers, Air Rite wanted to enhance this process to increase response time and better meet their customers’ needs.

THE APPROACH

MAGNET engineers automated the process by building a customized, flexible machine, which automatically die punches the framing stock based on measurements entered by the user. The new equipment includes a computerized input system, which allows specifications for several jobs to be entered at once. The machine then automatically cuts the cardboard stock based on these measurements. The new process also produces an interlocking tab on the cardboard, similar to those found on cereal boxes, eliminating a step in the previous method and increasing efficiency. In addition, this user-friendly machine requires little attention while running, freeing employees to conduct more value-added activities in the factory.

CUSTOMER QUOTE

“MAGNET built a wonderful machine for us that does an excellent job. It has cut our lead times in about half and yields a better product than our previous process. Our employees enjoy operating the new machine and certainly don’t miss the old days!”
Dave Harris - President

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